Teat-cup.



D. KLEIN & D. BROWN.

Patented Sept. 26, 1911.

Witnesses Attorneys UNITED srnrnepnrrnnr canton."

DANIEL KLEIN AND DAVID BROWN, OF SPOKANE, WASHINGTON.

FEAT-CUP.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Sept. 26, 1911s Application filed August 16, 1910. Serial No. 577,443.

' ments in teat cups desi ned more especially for use in milking machines of the pulsator type wherein the teat enveloped by the cup is subjected to the alternate action of a partial vacuum and the restoration of atmos-- pheric pressure.

The present invention is an improvement upon the teat cup shown and described in application Serial N 0. 538,737, filed January 18, 1910, by one of us, namely Daniel Klein.

flexible softrubber envelop which protects it from the direct action of the outer walls of the cup and subatmosphe'ric pressure within the cup. In accordance with the invention set forth in the aforesaid application the envelop is made an integral part of the teat cup and extends from the teat receiving end of the cup a sullicient distance thereinto to practically envelop the entire length of the teat. In practice it is 'found that such envelop or sheath will wear out or deteriorate much more rapidly than the outer or body portion of the cup and therefore the user has either to discard the cup otherwise in good condition or use a defective cup.

It is the object of the present invention 7 to provide a means whereby the delicate inner sheath may be readily attached to and removed from the body of the cup without in any manner interfering with its use so I that this more readily wearable portion of the cup may be discarded and a new sheath reinserted so that the l fe oi the cup 1s much prolonged, the body portion of the cup. outwoaring many of the delicate inner shca ths.

The invention will be best understood from a consideration of the following description taken in coi'mection with the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which drawings,

Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of a teat cup embodying the present invention and shown in the uncollapsed position. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the cup collapsed. Fig. is a top plan view of the cup as shown in Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings there is shown a cup 1 w ich may be of known construction in so far as its walls are concerned, the portion 2 of the Walls being quite stiff and another portion 3 of the walls being quite flexible and elastic. The portion 3 of the walls of the cup normally retains its shape butavill readily yield to atmospheric pres sure when sub-atmospheric pressure is produced within the cup. The manner of producing the stiffened portion 2 of the walls and the flexible portion 3 is immaterial to the present invention and so the resisting portion 2 and the flexible portion 3 are indicated in the drawings simply b ditl'erences in thickness, this being indicative only and not mandatory as to the construction actually employed. The cup is made smaller at one and than the other and at the smaller end of the cup there is applied a funnel like memher 4, preferably though not necessarily of glass and the narrow end 5 of the funriel is shaped to receive and retain a conduitleading to the usual pulsator, but this conduit and pnlsator have been omitted from the drawings as unnecessary to an understanding of the present invention. The udder or teat receiving end of the cup is sufiiciently expanded and provided with a circumferential groove 6 beyond which there may be formed a circumferential head 7. The teat receiv ing end of the cup is provided with the sheath or envelop 8 of thin, soft, flexible rubber having its outer end curved away from the body of the sheath and then re turned on itself and finally thickened and directed toward said body as shown at 9 so that this end of the sheatlnis adapted to override and embrace the head 7, the terminal edge of the portion 9 seating in the groove (5. The portion 5) of the sheath may be thickened so as to be stiller than the body portion of the sheath which latter is of such diameter and such length as to practically envelop the entire length of the teat with against the udder a soft, high grade body of rubber.

Because of the flexibility of the end'9 of "t-the sheath 8 it may be readily applied to the teat receiving end of the cup 1 or may be as readily removed therefrom While the clasticity of the roll 9 is sufficient to maintain itin proper relation. to the bead 7 and the sheath may be applied to or removed from the teat without danger of disconnection with the body portion of the cup, At the same time the highly flexible sheath 8 will readily conform to the teat while the roll 9 will readily conform to the udder or the root of the teat where joining the udder. Vi hen sub-atmospl'ieric pressure is produced within the teat cap the sheath 8 will readily yield to the collapsing of the flexible portion 3 but the inner Walls of this portion 3' are not brought into engagement with the teat except through the protecting sheath 8 and the partial vacuum within the cup has no direct effect upon the Walls of the teat thus preventing congestion and avoiding soreness and fever.

It will be observed that the Walls of the It is to be observed that the portion 3 of the teat cup is made highly flexible so as to cause the action of the cup on the teat to closely simulate the action of the tongue of a calf on a co'ws teat.

It will be understood that the extent of i lapsed.

the flexible portion 3 of the cup does not enter into the present invention and consequently this portion of the cup may be extensive or limited as found expedient.

By making the sheath or envelop 8 read ily removable, such sheaths may be readily renewed when worn or damaged without the necessity of discarding the more expensive body 1 of the cup, more especially as i) 'thin and soft rubber it is capable 01: being distended in case the teat is larger than the interior diameter of the sheath so that the teat will readily slip down until the top of the cup rests against the bottom of the udder.

What is claimed is" sively from the inlet end, toward the .dis-

charge end under the production therein of sub-atmospheric pressure, saidrup having a circumferential groove at its inlet end and a bead arranged beyond the groove, anda tapering interior sheath or sleeve of softer material than the cup and having an outwardly and theii inwardly curved roll of greater thickness than the body of the sheath, said roll forming a cushion detachably engaging the grooved and beaded portion of the cup, that portion of the sheath within the cup being normally spaced from the cup, the inlet portions of the sheath and the cup cooperating to form an annular air cushion when the cup and sheath are col In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our own, we have hereto aiiixed our signatures in the presence pit two witnesse".

DANIEL KLEIN. DAVID BROWN.

Witnesses: v

. JNo. A. Gun,

A. Hos'rn'rrnn.

.70 A teat cup adapted to collapse progres- 

